New plans from the British government have been revealed to expand the use of public sector data to support areas including energy, social care and weather planning.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced on Monday five projects that will use available public sector data in new ways.
Among these is a partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care to deliver a data platform that will gather and analyse adult social care information to support researchers and the NHS in planning care for the most at-risk people.
A separate project will explore whether closer integration of services can reduce health-related admin for disabled people and those with long-term conditions,
Additionally, data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will be brought together with data from the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC to find who needs targeted support with energy bills.
Other projects include using Met Office data and AI tools to support weather planning and exploring how legal data from the National Archives can be made AI-ready to make it easier for businesses to access legal support.
“Technology is at the heart of our mission to build better public services – from making sure vulnerable people get the support they are entitled to without needless admin, to backing businesses with tools they need to grow,” said Digital Government and Data Minister Ian Murray.
“By taking a common-sense approach to public sector data and investing in our world class AI base, we are seizing the UK’s potential, unlocking opportunities for growth and delivering for working people.”
The announcements come as the government prepares to inject £36m into a University of Cambridge supercomputer to increase the power available to researchers and startups.
